Page 15 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“You said this is not a common practice any longer. Was it ever?” I searched my memory for what Nyx had given me on the kingdoms, but I couldn’t recall a kingdom. It was magic wesimply didn’t have in Kerani. She frowned. “It was thought to have died out as a magic. We haven’t seen evidence of it in a long time, but it comes from the Eleventh Kingdom.”

I connected the number with the map Nyx had given me. The Volcano Kingdom. “And it’s taboo?”

“Not really,” she paused thoughtfully. “I mean, it probably would be if it was known as a current practice in this day and age. It’s thought of as an old practice and no longer a concern.”

“No one suspected Octavian?”

She shook her head. “No. He never let on.”

“His ryder never said?” I couldn’t imagine not knowing after a meld.

“His ryder died many years ago.” A crease formed in her brow.

I hated how many unanswered questions we were left with.

She busied herself arranging crystals at the feet of the table legs and consulting a dusty looking healing text for symbols, then etching on the floor with the burnt end of some bark she lit. I kept watch on the undead.

He did not seem to acknowledge her activities or become more distressed when she neared him. He was merely triggered by our presence in general.

She completed her ritual and declared him contained. Then, she set about testing different methods to sedate him so that she could get to work.

We worked until the sun began to rise, but deep in the belly of the palace grounds, we did not see the light dawning. I scanned texts while she conducted tests on her subject. To me, it looked like she spent hours circling and studying him from a safe distance, but I didn’t question it as long as the term ‘safe distance’ was applicable. I tried not to disturb her, but whenever she moved to the work table and noted something in her journal, I would tell her about anything I’d found.

We passed the night this way in companionable study. It wassomething, if not the conversation I’d hoped to be having. At least we were together. I’d never impress our bond on her if she kept running away, so I would take what I could get.

I eventually convinced her to go to bed when we heard the temple bells ring for the dawn worship of the Goddess the priests attended daily. We secured the cell and she set wards like those they used in the healer’s wing to alert if there was an emergency. If the undead were to take some kind of turn, or the cell was forced, she would be alerted.

I managed to catch a couple of hours of sleep on a cot I dragged out of another cell, so when Nyx relieved me after his morning meetings I was still somewhat functioning, but it was going to be a tough day.

I couldn’t look any worse than Nyx.

“Did you sleep at all?” I asked, studying the dark smudges under his eyes.

He shrugged.

I was becoming concerned. He had rapidly devolved in such a short time from being high on love, despite his grief, to not thinking clearly and making some questionable decisions that even his mate disagreed with. Where was the disconnect? I was having trouble seeing what was triggering it.

I hated to think it could be the hope that if we could somehow resurrect this undead fae, he might somehow find and do the same for Kol. I had to hope he knew that wasn’t possible. Even if it was possible to return a long-dead being from death, he had to know that wasn’t an option for Kol. I was there. He was at the heart of the fire and the explosion of the Dragon’s Bane stockpile. Kol was gone. He was not an undead soldier in a force set against the Twelve Kingdoms. He was dust on the wind and I prayed to the Goddess his peace came instantly.

“Did you sleep?” he asked.

“A little,” I replied. “We worked through the night.”

“We?” Nyx asked, a slight shift in his mood from melancholy to intrigue.

“I researched while she worked,” I said casually.

“Sounds cozy.” He smirked.

“It was something. I’ll take it.”

Nyx patted my back. “Hang in there, friend. She’ll come around.”

“At least she isn’t running away anymore.” I rubbed my temple. A headache was forming from lack of sleep. “I just feel with this new distraction, we’ll never get around to having the conversation we need to have.”

“It’ll happen. Perhaps the distraction is a good thing. You’re able to get close without triggering her flight response now.”

I chuckled. “Maybe.”

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